About
Between the Trees Farm
Isn't there ANYTHING my family can eat that won't make us sick??
I know so many people who have family members who struggle with health problems like irritable bowel, eczema, auto-immune disease, attention problems, sleep disorders, asthma, and the list goes on. They are sick of taking meds for the problem. They want to fix the problem at the root.
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These people hope that there is a natural cure, that maybe if they can cut out all the bad food and replace it with some good food, hopefully that will help.
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Let me assure you, it helps. Good health starts in the gut.
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Hi, I'm Hilary. Like most people, I grew up eating junk food. By the time I was in my early 30's and I'd had two kids, my body was deteriorating. Fast. Even worse, both of my kids had health issues. I started cutting things out of our diet, and I went through this stage where it seemed like there wasn't anything we could eat without it making us sick. Grains, store bought meat, processed dairy. It's like everything in the grocery store is inflammatory.
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At the same time, I was starting to raise animals for milk and meat. I couldn't believe what a difference diet made to my animals' health. In the early days of feeding goats hay and grain, the moms were exhausted after birth and the kids were so weak I had to help them nurse. My does got mastitis and hoof rot all the time. When I switched their diet to nutrient dense fresh pasture and veggies, at birthing time the moms and babies were up on their feet. They thrived instead of barely surviving. No more mastitis and hoof rot.
I saw that diet really matters. And I wondered how much different the quality of the milk from my goats would be for me as a consumer from when they were under-nourished compared to when they were well-nourished. It certainly made a difference to their kids. Not all milk is created equal.
That started me on a journey to find the optimal, natural diet for my animals rather than what conventional farmers feed. Today, this means grass-fed cows and forage based, soy-free grain supplemented pigs. The vibrant health of my animals is a testament to the importance of a diet full of good nutrition and free of garbage.
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Years later I am happy to say that YES, there is food that my family can eat. I grow it here on my farm. Grass-fed raw milk. Pasture raised pork. We eat it and we love it.
Meet Our Livestock
Lynch Lineback Cattle
Our Pigs
Our cows are a breed that hasn't changed during the past several decades, while industrial dairy cows have morphed into hyper-specialized milk producing machines. Back in the 1960's there was a man in Ontario, Robert Lynch, whose family had kept cattle for generations. They weren't a designated breed at the time, they were just the landrace cows that everyone had kept since the first settlers brought them. At that time, artificial insemination became widely available and his neighbors began to "upgrade" their cows into larger, heavier producing holsteins. Mr. Lynch liked his cows and he resisted upgrading them. For 50 years he kept a closed herd, preserving those genetics. As he got older, he could no longer care for them, so he passed his herd on to a younger generation of farmers. There is now a group of breeders dedicated to keeping these special cows viable.
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We are lucky to have the first herd of Lynch Linebacks in the United States. We find the cows to be gentle and easy to work with. Hilary really appreciates how simple it is to contain them and the ease of care for their udders and feet. They are a dual purpose breed. They don't make as much milk as modern dairy cows, but they also don't require the "high octane" diet of modern dairy cows. Unlike some heritage breeds that we have tried, all of our Lynch Linebacks have beautiful, well formed udders.
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Our farm is home to two fantastic pig breeds: the Hungarian Mangalitsa and the Idaho Pasture Pig. We raise pure IPP's and Mangalitsa/IPP crosses.
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At one time, we considered raising pure Mangalitsas, but to our surprise, the meat was too fatty EVEN FOR US. And there's nothing that we love more than good pork fat. But we do like a little more fat than standard modern pigs have, and we really like the weather hardiness of curly coated sheep-pigs (the nickname of Mangalitsas).
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We fell in love with our first Idaho Pasture Pigs (IPP's). They are great grazers, but best of all, IPP's are known for their friendly personality.
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Currently we have a mix of breeding stock which produces pure IPP's, 50/50 manga/IPP, and 3/4 IPP/ 1/4 manga. We find that the crosses carry forward the traits that we like from both breeds: excellent grazing ability, friendly, higher fat content, and weather hardy. The more manga in the cross, the more fat they put on.
